IBM Introduces WebSphere RFID Information Center

By Erika Morphy
Dec 18, 2006 4:00 AM PT

IBM has introduced new RFID (radio frequency identification) technology aimed at the pharmaceutical industry that it says not only provides
better tracking information but also offers users more
flexibility in analyzing the data that it generates.

WebSphere RFID Information Center, essentially a data-gathering and
repository application, is based on the EPCglobal
standard called "EPCIS." The system captures, manages
and shares RFID, sensor and 2D barcode "events" across
the enterprise.

The data can also be shared with
external organizations such as customers, suppliers
and government agencies, which is integral to the
business plan the application supports.

Its Shipment Verification capability
automates the tracking and confirmation of receipts.
Other possible uses, depending on configuration,
include diversion-tracking, inventory management,
targeted recalls and regulatory compliance.

WebSphere RFID Information Center can integrate with
other master data repositories in order to put the
RFID-generated information into better context,
according to IBM. Also, a company could develop new
applications on the sensor network repositories that
are linked to master data.

Reaching for ROI

There have been two main issues surrounding the use of
RFID technology, Christian C. Clauss, director of sensor
information management in the IBM software group, told
CRM Buyer. They are the "lack of standards and the
question of achieving ROI (return on investment)," he said.

The former has been largely resolved, and now IBM says it has
solved the question of ROI as well. "It has been our take that
ROI is not based on internal events," Clauss explained, "but events among
trading partners."

IBM focused on the pharmaceutical industry
as it developed the application. New government
regulations set to go in effect in California in 2009, which
require an electronic pedigree of pharmaceuticals
from manufacturing to distribution, are spurring
manufacturers and their vendors to develop systems
that will help with compliance, he said.

"We've been
working with manufacturers on assembly line speed to
ensure these processes don't slow the supply chain,"
he added.

The application creates a "record" at key points in
the supply chain. For instance, when the product
leaves the manufacturing plant, a record is created and
stored in the Information Center. This happens again
when it is received, when there is a change in
ownership in the distribution cycle, and when a digital
signature has been gathered.

"There will be at least four records gathered for
every bottle of medicine that ships, Clauss said.

Early Deployments

IBM WebSphere RFID Information Center has been
deployed by several early adopters, including
pharmaceuticals distributor AmerisourceBergen,
consumer packaged goods company Unilever and the
e-customs project ITAIDE in Europe.

The new system "will also become the
data backbone in our pilot program that will enable
AmerisourceBergen to improve its service," said Shay Reid, AmerisourceBergen vice
president of integrated solutions, "by quickly
and efficiently authenticating products and
transactions through direct data exchange with
pharmaceutical manufacturers."